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Lehmann-Peterson Draws On Noble Luxury Vehicle Tradition

Earle Moloney (L) and NFL Chicago Bears Hall of Fame player Dan Hampton, who at 6-feet, 5-inches, says: This is the first car in 20 years that I can comfortably sit in the back seat.

Earle Moloney (L) and NFL Chicago Bears Hall of Fame player Dan Hampton, who at 6-feet, 5-inches, says: This is the first car in 20 years that I can comfortably sit in the back seat.

In 1979, Earle F. Moloney directed a crash test of a limousine that sent it smacking into a barrier wall at 31 mph. Against the advice of his marketing staff and attorneys who were nervous about negative publicity if the test didn’t go well, Moloney proceeded anyway because he wanted to assure the public and prove that his stretch limousines were even safer than a normal car. And he was proven right.

Today, 47 years later, Moloney, who owns Arlington, Ill.-based Lehmann-Peterson, laughed when he recalled the crash test saying there’s no need to “go to the wall today” because his company’s new Cadillac XTS-L long door sedan is all-steel constructed and as safe as they come.

As a Cadillac Master Coachbuilder (CMC) since 2008, Lehmann-Peterson focuses on serving the industry with the XTS-L, which Moloney believes can become the workhorse vehicle of the limousine industry. “Absolutely. Everybody is trying to push cars that are too tight. The XTS-L has an additional seven inches of rear legroom and longer rear doors that make it easy to get in and out — so yes, I believe this is the car for the industry. It’s also a Cadillac, so it has luxury brand identity within the industry and customers,” he adds.

Moloney says the XTS-L is “all about taking care of the person in the back seat.” To prove his point, he cites Lehmann-Peterson advertisements that show a picture of Dan Hampton, an NFL Hall of Fame football player, sitting comfortably in the rear of the XTS-L. At 6-feet, 5-inches and 264 pounds, Hampton, who played for the Chicago Bears, looks relaxed with the added legroom.

Lehmann-Peterson has sold more than 100 XTS-L vehicles and believes the sedan is gaining traction in the limousine industry.

The XTS-L also retains its original factory lines and assures safety with its all-steel construction, Moloney says. “No plastic is used or filler material. The roof is all stamped steel and nothing is pieced together during the conversion. When you see it on the street, it turns heads because it has a fresh new OEM look.”

Lehmann-Peterson’s XTS-L combines OEM design and quality with its trademark structural integrity, says Bill Kennedy, company vice president. “This is a vehicle that has an all-steel roof and doors and contains no composites and adds an extra seven inches of room in the rear. It’s a three-way win for Cadillac, dealerships and customers. We’ve received unsolicited testimonials from both dealers and customers who say what a phenomenal car this is because it has great styling and extra roominess they didn’t expect.”

Moloney has been in the coach business for nearly five decades and built more than 14,000 vehicles that carry the Moloney Coach Builders nameplate. “He basically is the grandfather of the industry and we continue to build on that legacy today with the Cadillac,” Kennedy says.Reasonable PricingMoloney notes that the XTS-L is competitively priced, starting at $58,000. “There may be some misconception out there that the vehicle is really expensive, but it’s competitive with others in the market and offers better rear-seat comfort than vehicles in its class.”

With more than 100 XTS-L vehicles now in service, the company says it has hardly received any warranty claims. Moloney credits the quality and integrity of the vehicle to Lehmann-Peterson’s CMC certification and relationship with Cadillac. “They have rigid guidelines and if we need a little engineering help, they are very cooperative to assist which is a good thing because they have the expert engineers.”

The conversion roof of the XTS-L is all steel, ensuring integrity, quality and safety.

SIDEBAR: Coachbuilder Thrives On Five Decades of InnovationEarle Moloney entered the automotive business in 1967 when he formed Moloney Coach Builders, one of three limousine manufacturers at the time. The other two were Lehmann-Peterson and Cadillac. Moloney soon became the largest manufacturer of extended wheelbase luxury personal limousines and armored cars. The company worked with customers from around the world, and built vehicles for five Presidents, diplomats and celebrities, including Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Sophia Loren, Elvis Presley and the Queen of England. The company manufactured more than 14,000 extended vehicles until he sold the business in 1986.

In 1969, he also bought Lehmann-Peterson, best known at the time for building classic stretches of 1960s era Lincoln Continentals. The company continued in the sedan conversion business, and today focuses solely on producing the XTS-L.

All steel construction and wider rear doors allow easy entry and exit while maintaining the original factory lines.

Manufacturing is in the blood of Earle Moloney. The Moloney manufacturing heritage dates back to the 1930s when his father, Earle F. Moloney Sr., helped build the foundation of many Moloney-owned companies including Bally Manufacturing Corp. (founded by his brother, Raymond T. Moloney), a pinball manufacturer in Great Depression-era Chicago. The company started producing slot machines in 1936, making Bally the world’s oldest slot machine manufacturer. Today, Bally Technologies, Inc. is a diversified, worldwide gaming company that designs, manufactures, distributes, and operates gaming devices and computerized monitoring, accounting and player-tracking systems for gaming devices.

From there, Comar Electric Company was started and became known for such accomplishments as the design and production of components for the Apollo Space Program. Soon thereafter, Molon Corp., a premier designer and manufacturer of the sub fractional horsepower motors and gear reduction, was formed and remains an industry leader for more than 60 years. It remains the nation’s leading privately held manufacturer of custom designed, fractional horsepower motors and gear motors.

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